Ideologies of Identity in Adolescent Fiction

Examining Queer Elements and Ideologies in LGBT-Themed Literature

“…QC literature, however, represents “GLBTQ characters in the context of their communities of GLBTQ people and their families of choice” (p. xx). As such, each of these categories is distinguished by ideologies , or “way[s] of viewing the world” (McCallum, 1999, p. 263) and, in this case, LGBTQQ people in it. Therefore, consider a book in which the only character to come out or be outed as gay lives a lonely life until he or she is killed or kills himself or herself, a storyline not atypical in the early HV literature.…”

“…In some cases, scholars pointed us directly to particular literary elements. Cadden (2000), for example, directs us to pay attention to mode and naïve narrators, and McCallum (1999) emphasizes the importance of focalization. It was our interest in sexuality and gender, though, that brought us to Stephens, with McCallum (McCallum & Stephens, 2010) and Romören (Romören & Stephens, 2002), who, helped us understand the significance of metonymic configurations.…”

“…Focalization is when some part of the story, perhaps a scene, event, or character, is described through the point of view of a character, who has unique beliefs and values which shape his or her interpretation and thus representation of the story. A character might be focalizing, that is, representing the scene, event, or character; or a character might be focalized, that is, represented through the eyes of a different character (McCallum, 1999). McCallum (1999) asserts that characters make their beliefs and values explicit through focalization, constructing themselves as ideologues and providing a range of ideologies from which readers can choose.…”

“…A character might be focalizing, that is, representing the scene, event, or character; or a character might be focalized, that is, represented through the eyes of a different character (McCallum, 1999). McCallum (1999) asserts that characters make their beliefs and values explicit through focalization, constructing themselves as ideologues and providing a range of ideologies from which readers can choose. There may be few or many focalizers in any novel.…”

Magical Worlds, Real Encounters: Race and Magical Realism in Young Adult Fiction

“…An individual's negotiations with cultural discourses and that person's dialogue with the social institutions in which she or he tries to find a place (in other words, socialization and acculturation) are the elements that define young adult literature. According to McCallum (1999), in adolescent fiction, "preoccupation with personal maturation . .…”